Logical vs. Linear

Today, I want to discuss an important distinction.  Many people are LOGICAL thinkers at heart, but have fallen into the trap of being a LINEAR thinker.  I want to talk about what they mean specifically, because these may seem to be the same thing, but they are actually very different. 

Linear thinking tends to create a prison, and logical thinking tends to create freedom!  So let’s look at what these two terms mean and which way your mind might be going.  If you are having trouble reaching any goals at the moment, then this might be a timely conversation for you.

Let’s look at the definition of LINEAR first.  The definition of LINEAR is:

• Arranged in or extending along a straight or nearly straight line
• Progressing from one stage to another in a single series of steps; sequential

The big point I want you to take from these definitions is the “straight line” reference.  When you are in linear thinking, then you tend to look one-to-one and from your perspective only, your vantage point only.  From this perspective, you can only make it to where you want to go through a path you can see.  It relies only on your ability to make a connection to the next point based on what you can see.

For instance, I used to fall into the linear thinking trap quite often in the past when it came to my time versus my goals.  I would have to linearly correlate each item on my task list with a goal I was seeking to achieve.  If I was training for a physical event, it was that workout that needed to get done that day.  I would only devote time to things that I could directly connect to reaching a goal.  It can seem like this is a positive approach.  However, it made it really difficult for me to enjoy my life and actually blocked my progress in many ways.

The alternative is a LOGICAL approach.  The definition of LOGICAL is:

• Of or according to the rules of logic or formal argument
• Characterized by or capable of clear, sound reasoning

Since it is used in the previous definition, the definition of LOGIC is:

• Reasoning conducted or assessed according to strict principles of validity.

This is the distinction!  Where linear is about your vantage point only, logical allows you to take in what’s valid – not what YOU think but what the DATA shows is valid.  When you don’t have to see it from your own perspective, but you can look at evidence and weigh it for yourself – that’s the ability to be logical.  You have way more freedom and ability to reach your goals when you take in the data and see whether it makes sense to you.

If there is a result you want, and you see that the data shows that these certain actions tend to lead to that result – now you can choose to try that even though it was not maybe something you would have thought of yourself linearly.  The logical path will get you there more effectively and more quickly.

One place I see people stuck due to linear thinking is in starting a meditation practice.  There is an overwhelming amount of data that discusses the profound effects – the effects for people who want more success, who want better relationships, who want more financial abundance, who want peace in their bodies.  There is a lot of data that shows the positive effects.  So many of us want things on that list I just went through yet we don’t adopt a meditation practice.  I don’t think you can find a high performer in any field who doesn’t incorporate meditation for that reason – it amplifies your ability to reach your goals.  So many of us want lives like those high performers have, yet we don’t look at what they are doing and start doing those things ourselves.

So I want to ask you today to think about this!  For the goals you want to reach – have you become linear in your thinking versus logical?  Do you need to take a step back from your vantage point to look at what valid data is out there to help support your goals?  It might be challenging at times to give up the linear for the logical, but your future may depend on it!